'Black Panther' hides a key to Marvel's future at the movies in Wakanda

Excited for BlackPanther?Soarewe. Which is whywe're rolling out obsessive coverage withBlackPantherWeek.

Black Panther spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

As the credits roll on Black Panther, a seismic shift occurs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. King T'Challa informs the United Nations that Wakanda's isolationist era is at an end, and the African nation will henceforth share its technology and its resources with the outside world.

What is vibranium?

Until Black Panther, vibranium was a little-mentioned, yet extremely rare and valuable, metal. Captain America's trademark shield represented the sum total of the United States military's secret supply at the time it was made. Ultron built his robot army out of a stolen cache of the stuff, supplied by Ulysses Klaue.

Beyond factoring into a small handful of plot points in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV series, that's pretty much it for vibranium's place in the MCU. Until Black Panther came along, that is.

Black Panther teaches us a number of important facts about the rare metal. First, it's alien in origin. We don't know exactly when it happened, but at some point in MCU Earth's past, a meteor loaded with vibranium struck the region now known as Wakanda.

As Klaue tells the CIA's Everett Ross during one scene, there's enough of the stuff tucked beneath the nation's central mountain range that Wakandans have been pulling it out for a thousand years, and they've barely scratched the surface.

We're led to understand that vibranium means everything to Wakanda's development as a technologically advanced society. The movie doesn't fully reveal all of its properties, but it does offer some hints.

We know that vibranium, in its raw form, is unsafe to move around at high speeds. The movie also implies that native Wakandans carry a glowing, blue brand of sorts on the inside of their lower lip.

That persistent glow – most visible when the metal is in its raw form – suggests vibranium emits some unknown form of radiation. The Heart-Shaped Herb that, when consumed, provides the source of the Black Panther's power may possess those properties simply because of its proximity to the alien metal. That's the way the lore is written in Marvel Comics.

Why is vibranium important to Wakanda?

Prior to the events of 'Black Panther,' Wakanda's isolationist outlook made vibranium known throughout the world as a black market item with unknown origins.

Black Panther portrays Wakanda as a technological marvel. It's a place where bullet wounds heal in hours rather than weeks. Where "cars" (if you can call them that) fly and maglev-powered trains speed through a network of underground mines. Where a Chadwick Boseman-sized uniform made entirely out of nanomachines can be hidden away in the teeth of an unremarkable necklace.

Hell, the entire central city of Wakanda is concealed from the rest of the world – a world populated by superhumans and S.H.I.E.L.D. technology, mind you – by a holographic mountain range. The movie strongly suggests that vibranium is behind all of this seemingly magical science.

And yet, the world is completely unaware. Wakanda got a mention in Iron Man 2 but the nation's connection to vibranium wasn't made clear until Ultron cut a deal with Klaue for his stolen cache of it in The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

That's where Black Panther's U.N.-set credits scene and the "farmer" line become important. The post-Black Panther world of the MCU is about to find out where vibranium comes from and what its capabilities are.

You've got to figure all that new tech is going to be pretty handy when the big, purple terror known as Thanos invades in The Avengers: Infinity War.

Vibranium in the future of the MCU

In 'The Avengers: Infinity War,' Thanos' quest for the Infinity Stones will finally bring him to Earth — and Wakanda, probably.

Image: Disney / marvel Studios

We already know from Infinity War trailers that Wakanda is a key setting during the events of the upcoming movie. Steve Rogers, Black Widow, Hulk, Falcon, and War Machine all join Bucky, T'Challa, and Okoye there at some point. You don't get that many Avengers in one place unless it's for a pivotal moment.

Thanos comes to Earth in his quest for the Infinity Stones, a collection of all-powerful cosmic artifacts. He plans to use them to turn himself into a living god. Black Panther is the rare MCU movie that never touches on the Stones directly. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're completely absent.

There's been some speculation that the Soul Stone, the only one of the six artifacts that hasn't directly appeared in an MCU movie, is buried deep beneath Wakanda. Perhaps it was embedded in the vibranium meteor. It may even be the source of the alien metal's power. There are strong spiritual connections in traditional Wakandan culture, after all; maybe that's all the product of a cosmic artifact.

Another possibility: Thanos visits Earth to retrieve the Mind Stone, currently embedded in Vision's forehead, and the Time Stone, which Doctor Strange is keeping safe. Vibranium, thanks to its alien point of origin and powerful capabilities, becomes key to Earth's resistance against the forces of Thanos.

Past MCU movies have revealed that the Mad Titan is a powerful ruler and military mastermind. If vibranium is the main thing standing between him and Earth's Infinity Stones, then cutting it off at the source – Wakanda – makes good military sense.

Even after 'The Avengers: Infinity War' is over, Wakanda and its supply of vibranium should play a key role in the future of the MCU.

Beyond even Thanos: What happens to the MCU after Infinity War? Basically every movie released in the series to date has been building up toward a showdown of cosmic proportions in the May 4 release. But we already know the MCU will continue after Infinity War and the 2019 Avengers movie that follows it are over. What can we expect from The Next Big Threat That Unites All Heroes, Everywhere?

It's way too early to say for sure, but vibranium may be a clue there as well. The opening scene of Black Panther recounts the history of how the metal came to exist on Earth. That raises a question, though: How does anyone in Wakanda know the history?

It's possible this is a question that won't ever be answered, and we're simply meant to assume the story was passed down from generation to generation. But it's equally possible that the 2019 Captain Marvel movie will bring answers.

Captain Marvel is a prequel in the MCU timeline, set during the '90s. We also know the alien Skrulls are the movie's villain. In the comics, Captain Marvel is the one who first uncovers the alien origins of vibranium.

The MCU has a long history of mutating comic book storylines in a way that makes them work for the movies. It's entirely possible Captain Marvel will do exactly that to answer the question of how anyone on Earth knows where vibranium comes from.

Remember, this is all speculation. But MCU post-credits scenes often signpost the road ahead, and T'Challa's move in Black Panther to end Wakanda's isolationist policies strongly suggests that vibranium is about to take on an outsized importance.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.